Design Style Agreement

09/10/01

This agreement is intended to convey our conceptual design style — the overall feel of the buildings and spaces within the housing cluster. We recognize that because of our current level of ignorance, some of our design details which we have indicated below will need to be changed based on future design and construction learning. This agreement covers only outdoor style issues and does not yet address indoor style issues.

Overall StyleWe call our overall style ‘Southwest Mountain Rustic’. The buildings and landscape look as though they belong to this place in the Southwest Rocky Mountains. They have grown up naturally out of the land rather than having been imposed upon the landscape. Their materials and shapes blend gracefully with the land itself and their design responds to the opportunities and challenges of the climate. Using Nature as our model, our buildings and spaces unite form and function to create utility and a simple beauty.

Community and Personal ExpressionJust as our neighborhood is created to strike a balance between privacy and community, so too does our design style strike a balance between personal expression and community expression.

The principle areas where we work to create a cohesive village look are in building placement, building sizes, roofs (material, slope, style, color), walls (material, color), and landscaping immediately adjacent to the pathways. The principle areas where we encourage individual expressions are porches, doors, and private landscaping.

Budget ConsiderationsOur community is made up of both owner-built homes and SJC-built homes. Our design style choices avoid placing an undue financial burden on either type of homes.

Common HouseThe private homes and the common house are of the same style, except that the common house has a certain grandeur because of its size and the extra use of finely crafted stonework and timbers.

MaterialsHomes are surfaced in stucco and have logs and/or rough cut timbers exposed. The stucco is in a range of shades of the same brown color. Some homes also have native stonework exposed. (Native stones are the type found on the land with harsh angles, as opposed to rounded river stones.)

RoofsThe roofs are of the same material. There are two colors: blue and brown.

WindowsWindows are chosen based primarily on energy efficiency and economics. Style plays a secondary role in the choice.

PorchesPorches vary quite a bit depending on site orientation and owner preferences. Some are covered and some are uncovered. Covered porches have a variety of roof styles and appropriate pitches, but the roofs are of the same material and color found in our home roofs. Porches are constructed in a variety of styles and of a variety of materials.

LandscapingThere are lots of gardens and trees throughout our community, but we’re careful to maintain visual connections between front porches, pathways, and common house. Low retaining walls are made of native stone.